Designing trials around patients’ habits is the key to success in patient compliance, according to online recruitment specialist Rebar Interactive.

Outsourcing-pharma.com spoke about patient compliance with Rebar owner Rahlyn Gossen, who said: “Often when a clinical trial protocol is designed we aren’t always conscientious about how that trial fits with the patients existing habits, and new habits are often difficult to form,”​ she said.

“The idea," she continued "is to consider the patients’ existing habits and try and use those to form new habits.”​

Gossen recommended that trial co-ordinators whose patients find it hard to comply with protocol requirements should try to discuss existing habits with study participants to identify problem areas and help create new patterns of behaviour that are consistent with the trial protocol.

“It seems like a simple concept and it is in many ways but because patients are not always aware of their habits it’s sometimes helpful to identify them to help them create new habits,”​ she added.

Gossen went on to say that although this approach will create additional work, if applied sparing the wider benefits would more than offset any extra work that is required.

“I wouldn’t do this with every patient, because not all patients need it," ​she said “It is additional work but when you think about all the additional work that is created when a patient is not compliant it is well worth the extra effort.”​